


blood in the snow

by ZainBAP



Series: best absolute puppies [6]
Category: B.A.P
Genre: Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Full Shift Werewolves, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pack Dynamics, Pack Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-17
Updated: 2019-04-17
Packaged: 2020-01-15 17:11:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18503392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZainBAP/pseuds/ZainBAP
Summary: Yongguk is in his room when he hears it; the howl.





	blood in the snow

**Author's Note:**

> This part is 100% thanks to Jill who drowned me in flatter and motivation to pick this series back up again!

Yongguk is in his room when he hears it; the howl.

It's Daehyun. He'd recognize those high notes anywhere. Only this time, it doesn't sound right. Where Daehyun's howl usually lasts for a long time, holding that beautiful note for as long as possible, this is rushed and shaky. The raw sound of it sends a shiver down Yongguk's spine, his heart sinking like a stone in his chest. The attic room suddenly seems colder than usual, making the small hairs on the back of his neck stand and his skin prickle.

He's rushing down the stairs before he's barely aware of getting up, pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it somewhere on the second floor. Youngjae comes out of his bedroom, already chucking his own shirt. Yongguk can hear the delta's heart pound just as fast as his own, the stench of their conjoined fear thick in the air.

"Stay here," Yongguk breathes out, already halfway down the next set of stairs, not having stopped.

"Hyung—" Youngjae says, voice unsteady.

Junhong is in the living room downstairs, standing in the middle of the room and meeting Yongguk's gaze with wide, terrified eyes. The omega's fingers are clenching the hem of his sweater.

"No," Yongguk says, still talking to Youngjae who's following him down. He stops in front of the door, ripping both socks off his feet.

"He's calling for _help_ ," Youngjae points out, as if that much wasn't obvious.

"Stay here, or I'll have to worry about you too," Yongguk growls, before lowering himself to the ground.

It's winter, but the cold only hits his naked skin for a second before he transforms, black fur sprouting all over his body. He runs, heart racing, heading in the direction Daehyun's call had come from. Their scents are all over these woods, as are their paw prints in the snow. Yongguk tries to pick up a trail. The forest is dead silent now, no birds singing in the trees.

Eventually, the distant sound of fighting reaches his ears.

He can hear wolves snarling, jaws being snapped shut, bodies colliding. _How many?_ Yongguk asks himself, running as fast as he can towards his pack. _What if they're too many for us?_ He regrets leaving Youngjae and Junhong at the house. While he hadn't wanted to lead them into danger, it might've been more dangerous leaving them behind. _What if someone attacks the house?_

It's been a long time since they had other wolves on their territory. They pick up unknown scents along the border sometimes — stragglers who've wandered into the area before turning back once picking up the alpha's scent. Yongguk hasn't stood face to face with another alpha in years, and he hopes to keep it that way.

Yongguk finally picks up on his members' scents. Daehyun, Jongup, Himchan. He smells blood, too. There are at least two other wolves with them, their scents pungent and unfamiliar. Yongguk bares his teeth already, a deep growl traveling up his throat.

First thing he sees is Himchan's body on the ground.

The snow is splattered with red, just like the white wolf's pelt. He's alive, turning his head towards Yongguk when he reaches the small clearing, but he's badly hurt. Yongguk feels cold dread settle in his stomach, seeing the _exhaustion_ in Himchan's eyes.

Jongup and Daehyun are trying to fight off three wolves nearby, clearly trying to keep them off the injured beta. Snow and dirt is flying around them, the loud growling echoing between the trees. The stranger wolves are bigger than Daehyun and Jongup, but not as big as Yongguk and Himchan. They must've attacked Himchan first, wanting the biggest threat out of the way.

Yongguk can sense his members' relief, as well as their fear. He snarls, earning the attention of the three intruders. Daehyun is limping, his muzzle covered in blood. Yongguk lets a deep, threatening growl build in his chest before releasing it and lunging at one of the attackers.

His teeth snap shut inches away from the wolf's jugular, making it shriek in alarm. The other two are immediately on Yongguk, seeking retaliation, although he can sense how intimidated they are by his size. Jongup and Daehyun join in again, doing their best to keep the two wolves off their alpha.

Yongguk feels the burn of teeth and claw digging into his skin, but ignores the pain best he can as he goes in for another attack. The wolf who'd barely escaped his bite last time has its ears laid back, tail between its legs. It's snarling, baring its red gums and teeth, but Yongguk can smell its fear.

There was a time when Yongguk would have cared if the wolf was another shifter or not. But that's Himchan's blood around its mouth, no matter which it is. Yongguk no longer cares _what_ is threatening his pack. The fact that they're _not safe_ is all that matters. They've all been burned too many times.

Again, Yongguk goes for the wolf's throat, and he doesn't miss this time. His jaws close around the wolf's neck, the taste of blood filling his mouth as his teeth tear through the flesh and muscle. The wolf howls in pain, helplessly struggling to get free. It's paws claw frantically at the ground, dark blood dripping into the snow. Yongguk's heart is pounding, the adrenaline hot in his veins.

There's a part of him that doesn't want to let go, that wants him to give in to the bloodlust and be the predator he's meant to be. Something wicked and dangerous is brewing inside him, reminding him of the same feeling of _rightness_ he feels when he's out running with the pack, or when they howl together. When they're giving in to their instincts.

But in the end, he does let go. The wolf falls to the ground, panting and whimpering. Fear is thick in the chilly air, and Yongguk can sense the hesitation from the other two wolves still fighting Daehyun and Jongup as they see Yongguk stand over their fallen comrade.

A howl is heard, coming through the trees, and all wolves pause. It's Youngjae and Junhong, sounding strong and confident, and Yongguk answers them. Wants the intruders to know that their pack is bigger, that there's more help coming. That this is _their_ territory, and that they'll defend it.

The intruders are starting to back up, clearly scared off by how big the pack they'd attacked really is. The injured wolf is struggling to get to its feet, whining from pain as well as defeat. As soon as Junhong and Youngjae appears, standing next to Yongguk and baring their teeth, the wolves retreat. A trail of blood follows them as they disappear into the trees.

Yongguk looks to his pack, letting his gratitude and relief show that Junhong and Youngjae followed him. He looks to Himchan, the white wolf pushing himself up as if to answer the question Yongguk couldn't ask: he can stand. His wounds look ugly, but Yongguk decides they'll heal. They have to.

He growls lowly, gesturing in the direction of the house with his head. _Take him back_. His pack members make agreeing noises. Then he locks eyes with Junhong, the young wolf who's finally grown into his long legs, and huffs before following the trail of blood. Junhong follows.

They chase the wolves at a distance, all the way out to the border. Yongguk howls after them, cruel and threatening, and Junhong joins in. Yongguk looks to him once they've stopped, and Junhong broadcasts  nothing but relief. The only blood on him is what he got on his legs after running the trail. Yongguk rumbles lowly, stepping up to nudge the young wolf's head with his own. Thankful that his youngest is unharmed. The omega nuzzles the alpha's neck briefly in response, smelling happy.

 

 

It's dark when they return to the house. Yongguk had been worried the others wouldn't have made it back, that he'd find Himchan lying in the snow somewhere, but they're all there. Yongguk can hear the beating of their hearts within the house, and as always it makes his chest feels warm.

Youngjae is in the kitchen, smelling antsy, and he jumps up as soon as Yongguk and Junhong come through the door. He offers them a weak smile, and Yongguk knows what it means. He's glad they're back, but sad about what they're coming home to.

"Himchan's in his room. We cleaned his wounds, stitched him together best we could. He might be sleeping," Youngjae adds, probably sensing that Yongguk wants to go see him immediately. "Just… Maybe let him rest, hyung."

There's both blood and dirt smeared over the floorboards. Yongguk's sweatpants are lying where he left them by the door next to his socks.

"What about Jonguppie?" Junhong asks, who's already changed back and is putting his own clothes back on in the living room. "And Daehyun-hyung?"

"They're alright," Youngjae assures them, though unhappily. "They're all upstairs. I just— I wanted to wait for you guys."

Yongguk hums deep in his chest, feeling for Youngjae.

Junhong is already darting up the stairs, and Yongguk lets himself transform back into his human skin. He slips into his sweats before turning back to Youngjae who'd looked away momentarily. Something flickers across Youngjae's face once their eyes lock again. Yongguk can see his Adam's apple bob as he swallows.

"You should probably clean up, hyung," he offers quietly.

He's right. When Yongguk steps into the bathroom and looks in the mirror, he's almost stunned by his gruesome reflection. He's got caked blood smeared across his mouth and down his chin. It's under his nails, between his teeth. He's got some scratches on his skin, but they're not a concern. The teeth marks on his arm have already stopped bleeding.

It takes some scrubbing for the blood to come off. Yongguk brushes his teeth twice, desperately trying to get that blood taste out of his mouth. He feels dirty even when he's clean, feeling strange and sad about having brought anything but the usual dirt into the house. He remembers _feeling_ the wolf's pulse against his own tongue when he'd held its throat between his jaws.

Jongup's door is ajar when Yongguk comes back out, his and Junhong's voices quiet from inside. Yongguk comes to stop in the doorway, peeking inside. They sense him, of course, and look up from where they're sitting on Jongup's bed. Jongup smiles at him, and Yongguk takes in the scratches covering him and the bandage on his arm.

"I'm fine, hyung," he says softly.

Yongguk doesn't know what to say, because it's like it wasn't real until now. Until seeing the marks they left on Jongup's human skin. He feels sick, knowing it all could've gone differently. If Daehyun hadn't called for help, if Yongguk hadn't heard it. Jongup wouldn’t have gotten off so easily.

"Come here," Yongguk sighs, torn between relieved and heartbroken. Jongup stands from the bed and then Yongguk is there, pulling him against his chest. Carefully, Jongup hugs him back.

"We should've gotten you as soon as we picked up their trail," Jongup mumbles. "I'm sorry, hyung. I know we should have. But then they were on us, and they just— I thought about running to get you," Jongup whispers, his breath hot against Yongguk's collarbone. "I'm fast, I could've made it. But I couldn't leave Himchan—"

"Shh, Jongup-ah," Yongguk hushes him softly, cupping the back of his head. There's still some dirt in his hair. "You did good. I'm just glad you're okay."

Jongup exhales, shoulders slumping as he nods into the alpha's chest.

Yongguk meets Junhong's eyes who's still sitting on the bed, and there's so much _emotion_ in his eyes it makes a lump form in Yongguk's throat. They are the youngest of the pack, and Yongguk always worries about them the most. Worries if he's doing right by them. All he ever wanted for them was to feel safe here. To not be afraid to live.

Daehyun and Youngjae are standing in the doorway when Yongguk and Jongup pull apart, Youngjae with one arm wrapped around Daehyun's waist, supporting him. He'd been limping back in the forest, and Yongguk notices his ankle is badly hurt. But what breaks his heart the most, is Daehyun's face.

Yongguk swallows, stepping up to stand in front of him. Carefully, he reached up to touch Daehyun's cheek ridden with cuts and scratches. In his wolf form, Yongguk had only seen blood covering his muzzle, and now he tentatively touches the horrible cut from the corner of Daehyun's mouth. His bottom lip is split open, several other cuts running down his chin. It's gonna take a long time for him to heal enough so that humans won't ask questions.

Daehyun's eyes are glazed over once Yongguk's gaze meets his. And it makes Yongguk's heart ache, knowing how Daehyun will avoid mirrors for a time. How his self-esteem was already low to begin with, without this. Without those animals laying a hand on him.

"You did good," Yongguk whispers, still cupping Daehyun's face. "You did so good, Daehyun-ah. Wouldn't have found them without you. Himchan wouldn't have made it home."

Daehyun closes his eyes, tears trailing down his cheeks. The cut on his lip is still bleeding. Yongguk wants to punch something. Wants to rewind time and give in to the bloodlust. Wants to _avenge_ this.

"Thank you," Daehyun whispers after a while, their heads bowed together so close their foreheads are nearly touching. "For… finding us. For a moment… I thought you wouldn't."

Yongguk shakes his head, exhaling shakily. He imagines what it may have been like for the younger two, after Himchan went down. When it was just Daehyun and Jongup against the three attackers. When they didn't know if anyone heard their call for help, if they would make it.

"I'll always find you," Yongguk promises.

 

 

When Himchan comes to, hours later, Yongguk is in his bedroom.

It's dark, and the beta's eyes probably haven't adjusted yet, but Yongguk knows Himchan can smell him. There's some grunts and shuffling around, until Himchan eventually sighs and goes still.

"Since you're here, why don't you make yourself useful."

His voice is strained despite his cheeriness. Yongguk abandons the chair in the corner and comes to sit on the edge of the bed, careful not to bump against any of Himchan's limbs under the blankets.

"What do you need?"

"Help me sit up, will you?" Himchan pleads, sounding annoyed more than anything.

Yongguk helps him prop up enough pillows so he can lean back against the headboard comfortably. The others have done a good job patching him up, though some bandages are gonna need to be changed soon. His skin is hot to the touch, body working in overtime to heal him. Once he's settled, Himchan lets out a heavy sigh.

"Better," he says.

"How bad is it?" Yongguk asks, wanting to know. And  he can't help from making his voice stern, because he knows Himchan is gonna try to sugarcoat it. He can't see anything but scratches and covered wounds, the smell of caked blood still thick in the room, but he can't decide how serious is it.

Thankfully, Himchan doesn't seem to be in the mood for hiding things.

"Lost a lot of blood," he admits, holding Yongguk's gaze. "Still feeling a bit lightheaded. But it's fine, the kids did good. Stopped the bleeding."

Himchan looks down, pulling the blanket aside to reveal the big bandage around his middle.

"Ribs hurt. Don't think they're broken, but they're _something_. And this is useless," he mutters, waving his left arm. Yongguk hadn't thought about it before, but he'd barely used it when shuffling around earlier. "I'll heal," he says, probably when seeing the alarm on Yongguk's face.

Yongguk's eyes return to Himchan's face, seeing the hint of a smile there. They're close, Yongguk sitting fully on top of the mattress next to him now. Everything smells of dried blood and rubber alcohol and pain and _wrong_.

"I'm sorry," Yongguk says after a moment's silence. It's what he's wanted to say since it happened. "I'm sorry I didn't get there sooner. That I didn't know."

"You're not psychic, Bbang," Himchan sighs. "How could you have known they were there?"

"I should have," Yongguk insists. "Somehow."

Himchan snorts, shaking his head. But it's fond, and then he's reaching for Yongguk with his good hand. Their fingers brush on top of the sheets, before Yongguk fully takes Himchan's hand and intertwine their fingers as hard as he dares.

"You came," Himchan murmurs. "That's what matters. We survived it."

Yongguk purses his lips, nodding slowly.

"Did you check on Daehyunnie?" Himchan asks after a moment's silence.

Yongguk's heart sinks at the reminder, and he knows Himchan can tell exactly what he's feeling.

"They would've ended me, if not for him," Himchan says quietly. "He threw himself at their claws, kept them off me." He pauses, visibly disturbed by his own memories. "They tried to silence him, when he called for help. Went for his throat."

"He'll be okay," Yongguk finds himself saying, even though _he_ needs to hear it himself. Suddenly his hands are itching to go find Daehyun again, make sure he's really okay. Check all his wounds.

"Yeah," Himchan agrees.

Some more time passes. Yongguk listens to the steady sound of the six heartbeats close by. Himchan runs his thumb back and forth over Yongguk's knuckles.

"You know I'd never kick you out of my bed," Himchan hums after a while, "but I'm afraid I'll have to."

Yongguk allows himself to scoff.

"I'd bring the whole pack in here to sleep if I wasn't so worried about us hurting you," he says honestly.

Himchan smiles, weak but real.

"Stop punishing yourself and get some rest, Bbang," he tells him. "We're okay."

Yongguk nods, squeezing Himchan's hand once before letting go.

Back in the hallway outside, Yongguk stops to listen to his pack sleeping. Breathing. The thought of going upstairs to his own bed feels wrong and dangerous, the wolf in him not wanting to leave his pack even for sleep.

So he doesn't.

He transforms again, parking his big wolf body in the middle of the hallway, facing the stairs. Nothing would touch his members before getting past him first. Yongguk rests his head on top of his front paws, fighting to keep his eyes open for a bit, until he finally gives in to sleep.

 

 

It's still hours till dawn when he jerks awake again.

Youngjae is there, sitting down on the floor next to him. He carefully puts one hand between the wolf's shoulder blades, fingers carding through the fur.

"Couldn't sleep," he whispers, rubbing at his face with his sleeve with his free hand. "Heard you."

Yongguk rumbles in response, shifting his body to press more against Youngjae's side. Youngjae notices, and smiles. Yongguk wishes they'd spoken more, before. He's too worn-out to change back and use human words now. But he knows the others understand that about him. Youngjae smells content to be here with him like this. He gets comfortable leaning against the wolf's side, sighing softly when finally resting his head on Yongguk's shoulder.

"It'll all feel better tomorrow," he mumbles.

Yongguk can't tell whether it's for himself, or for Yongguk. But he hums in agreement nonetheless.

They're okay.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> There will definitely be a follow-up part to this.
> 
> Reach out to me on [tumblr](https://zainbap.tumblr.com/) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/ZainClaw) in case you wanna send me a request of your own :)


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